Chapter Text
Futaba - Ann
FS: I can't sleep. Are you awake? |_・)
AT: Yeah, I'm awake. I can't sleep either. I don't know how anyone else fell asleep.
FS: Heartless! All of them! While we sit here worried!!
AT: I don't think they're heartless, Futaba.
FS: Fiends of the highest caliber. S-tier enemies.
AT: Futaba!
FS: Ughhhhh.
FS: I got a text from Sumire saying she'd be here in the morning. So at least there's that.
AT: Oh good! It'll be nice to see her.
FS: Ann, why do you think it's taking Joker and Narukami so long?
AT: Oh man, I... I don't know, Futaba.
AT: I mean, I feel like if we took all the time it took us to scope out a Palace, it'd probably be at least this long?
AT: And we did that in pieces! This had gotta be harder.
FS: What if he's gone for like a week, Ann.
AT: I... don't think we can all stay here for a week, Futaba.
FS: I know that's why i hate it .·´¯`(>▂<)´¯`·.
AT: Maybe it won't be a week. Maybe he'll be back when we wake up!
FS: what if we're all asleep when they get here and they're all really sick or something and no one was awake to call the doctor
FS: that's it, i'm staying awake.
AT: You can't stay awake for a week!!
FS: well then THEY BETTER NOT BE GONE FOR A WEEK
FS: also, challenge accepted
AT: THAT WASN'T A CHALLENGE.
AT: Futaba, please do not try to stay awake for a week.
FS: ... I'm really scared, Ann.
AT: I know. I kinda am too.
FS: can I have a hug?
AT: Sure.
Saturday June 2 - Clear - Morning
Ann wakes up with Futaba still curled up next to her, thankfully asleep. She doesn't want to admit how much she was concerned Futaba was actually going to stay up all night. A glance around the room doesn't show any new people in it, so she assumes that no one had arrived in the middle of the night. Good. I don't want to have to explain that to Futaba. She sneaks out from under the younger girl's arm and tiptoes downstairs to the bathroom to do a quick change into new clean clothes. By the time she ducks into the café, Sojiro's already gotten a cup of coffee prepared for her. She smiles. "Thanks, Boss. Good morning."
"Morning," he replies with a small smile. "You kids sleep okay up there?"
Ann shrugs. "I guess. Hard to fall asleep when we're still waiting for Akira, you know?"
"Yeah, I suppose so. Not that anyone's told me what exactly is going on, other than Akira being gone."
Ann takes a breath. "I... It's just hard to explain, I think, because none of us really know the full answer either." She pulls her shoulders in. "It's--"
Before she can say anything more, the front door jingles - and Ann's heart leaps into her throat as she looks over. The initial panic fades, though it's replaced by a soft pleased feeling. "Ah, I didn't expect any of you to be awake yet." Sae Nijima walks in, pushing her hair out of her face. "Good morning, Ann-chan. Good morning, Sojiro-san."
"I've told you before, just call me Boss like everyone else," Sojiro mutters, but he's biting back a smile from what Ann can see. "You here for the reunion too?"
Sae blinks. "I... If you mean am I here because my little sister called me about something happening with Kurusu-kun, then yes. That would be why I'm here."
"Did Makoto tell you much?" Ann asks.
Sae shakes her head. "No, not particularly. She said that there was a connection to everything that happened back with the Phantom Thieves, but didn't go into detail."
"Better than what they gave me," Sojiro comments.
Ann sighs. "It's like I was just telling Boss. It's really hard to give anyone a good idea when we don't really know what's going on ourselves." She takes a breath. "Okay. So you remember the Metaverse?"
Sae nods. "The cognitive world. I remember."
"Okay, well we thought it was gone. Like, destroyed and couldn't come back kind of gone. But... I guess it's not? And we think that might be where Akechi is."
That gets both Sae and Sojiro to snap to attention. "Akechi?" Sae asks, voice low.
"Didn't you all say he was gone?" Sojiro asks. His voice is a little more tense than Sae's, and Ann doesn't blame him. Sojiro doesn't have any reason to remember what happened with Maruki. Neither does Sae, but Ann figures she's got a better view into all of this because of her connections to the Shido case and all.
"We thought he was. But I guess Akira found out something? That's the part I don't really know. Akira figured something out, and between him and Narukami - that's a therapist I guess he was talking to, Sae-san? - they decided that they had to find a way to get back into the Metaverse to go find him. But none of us know how they did it, or really if they managed to do it in the first place. But... that's what we're waiting for! For them to come back. Hopefully with Akechi."
Sae takes a long breath, and blows it back out again. "That would explain why Makoto has been asking all these questions about Shido's case, and how it would affect Akechi-kun. I guess I never really considered the possibility that he might show up again and need to face any of that." She blinks. "How long have they been gone?"
"Since yesterday, probably afternoon or so? I think? I've only been here since a little before dinner yesterday, and they'd been gone for a little by then."
"So a little less than 24 hours. Is that... normal?"
Sojiro coughs on a laugh. "Don't think any part of this is normal."
Ann grimaces. "Unfortunately, I'm kinda with Boss on this. Even when we were in there more commonly... we never tried to do everything all at once. We couldn't. So... I don't know what Akira's up against in there."
"Wait." Sae shakes her head. "You mentioned someone else. They went into the Metaverse with Kurusu-kun?"
Ann nods. "Yeah! I guess he had the same kind of powers we did, just... from a couple years ago? You'd have to ask Futaba when she wakes up; I don't remember his whole story."
Sae nods at that. "I may do that." Sojiro sets a cup of coffee down in front of her, and she starts at it. "Oh. Thank you."
"Mm-hmm." He goes back to cleaning some dishes. "So you got any idea of when these two - or three, I guess - might be back?"
Ann shakes her head. "No, not really. I'm hoping soon, but... we don't know."
"A lot of unknowns," Sae muses. "I can see why Makoto has seemed so anxious. I know she and Kurusu-kun were close, back in school."
Ann nods. "We're all pretty worried." She shifts in the chair. "Sae-san... what do you think will happen to Akechi-kun if he shows back up? Will he be in a lot of trouble for what happened?"
Sae tilts her head back and forth. "It's difficult to say, though I'd certainly be fighting for him not to be in as much trouble as he could be. If he's able and willing to help contribute testimony to Shido's case... and if Shido himself speaks to what happened, I think it's quite likely he could get off with predominantly probation. Particularly because we already have sworn statements from Shido stating that he was knowingly using Akechi. If we can ensure he's tried in juvenile court... well, I can't make any promises, but I'll say that I'll do everything I can for him."
"Thank you, Sae-san," Ann says quietly. "I know a lot of what he did was really terrible, but...he still worked with us for a lot, and he did a lot of good too. I just don't want what he did because of Shido to ruin his whole life."
"Plenty of people who'd say he deserves it," Sojiro mutters. "Don't care if he's just a kid. He killed people."
Ann winces at the anger in Sojiro's voice. For as much as she's talked to Futaba about what she thinks about Akechi and the death of her mother, she hasn't really heard anything about it from Sojiro. "Even if he apologizes? If he gets probation, or community service, or whatever else? Don't you think he could get better?"
Sojiro grumbles. "Don't know if you can ever take the killer out of a person. But that's not my decision to make, and if anyone should have a say in what happens to that kid, it's Futaba, not me."
Sae hums softly. "I can't imagine what she must be going through. Her or the Okumura girl. Knowing that the person behind the death of your parent worked beside you...?"
"It's hard for them," Ann adds, quiet. "I know both of them have struggled a lot with it, but they all agreed to be here too. They're willing to give him a chance."
"Then it's the least we can do to do the same," Sae responds, and Sojiro grunts in what Ann is guessing is agreement. "Is everyone else asleep, Ann-chan?"
Ann nods. "They were when I came down a little bit ago, at least."
"I'll let them sleep. I can't imagine any of you got a good night's sleep last night."
That actually gets a laugh out of Ann. "No, I don't think so either."
Tae Takemi sits in her office, tapping a pen against her desk. It's been quite a while since Akira Kurusu's name has shown up in her life, and this really isn't the way she'd wanted to see him again. So her little guinea pig was in trouble, was he? His friend, Ann-chan, hadn't been forthcoming with many details, but from what she remembers of Akira-kun, that's hardly surprising. After all, he was the leader of the Phantom Thieves. Whatever he's caught up in, she can guess it has something to do with that. What can possibly have been coming up that would have connected back to that all this time later, she doesn't know - but that's not much the point. Her guinea pig needs her, and she is willing to help.
What she wishes she had was just a tiny bit more information of what he might need of her.
Most of what Akira-kun had requested from her had been health supplements - just things to help strengthen the mind and body. But this seems like more than what he would have asked for on a normal day. So while she's made sure to keep a good stock of the usual items he'd request, she's also trying to keep more powerful medications on hand. Ann-chan had mentioned something about someone being with him who might be showing signs of malnutrition and dehydration. That's easy. She has IV bags at the ready for a more severe case, and plenty of food and hydrating drinks in stock.
Though that was another interesting thing about the situation - the fact that she'd mentioned another person. Akira-kun never showed up with anyone else (at least not counting the cat that she's sure he thought she never noticed in his bag), but now someone else is with him. Is it another member of the Phantom Thieves? Ann-chan hadn't been willing to give her any information on this mystery other person. Takemi has no clues on who it might be.
So she waits, and watches her phone, and taps her pen, hoping that someone is going to call her eventually and tell her what's going on - and hoping that whatever Akira-kun has gotten himself into this time, he comes out the other side in one piece.
Joker is letting himself have a moment.
Just a moment, to crouch there on the floor, and hold Goro Akechi in his arms.
It's not exactly comfortable, and he knows they can't stay for long. But God above, he didn't think he was ever going to have this moment. After over a year of waiting, he's real and he's in front of him, and he's going to be okay. He'll make sure of it. And for right now, he just wants to hold onto the feeling of having Akechi curled up against him.
It's a long moment later before Akechi stirs and looks up at Joker. "Why..." A small shake of the head. "Why are you in your outfit? I... shouldn't be registering you as a hostile presence."
"This place doesn't really work like a normal Palace," Joker murmurs quietly. "I don't think all the same rules apply."
"What... else would it be like?" Akechi blinks.
"That's a long story, and one for when we're not in here anymore." That's said with a bit more firmness. Akechi has enough to deal with - he doesn't need to be worrying about the intricacies of the Metaverse and the fact that there are other Persona users other than the Thieves. He has to make sure that's a conversation for another day. Maybe another week.
Akechi, luckily, just nods and lets his eyes drift close for a moment. After a pause, they open again and look up at Joker. "Will you take your mask off? Can you?"
Joker hesitates for a second, but shifts a hand enough so that he can pull the mask away from his face. Part of him is convinced the rest of the Joker attire will go with it, but it doesn't. So he stays as he is, and slowly turns his gaze back to Akechi, who is still looking up at him with bleary and distant wine red eyes. God, he's beautiful. He never wants to look away from Akechi for the rest of his life. "Better?"
Akechi nods faintly, and brings a shaking hand up to brush away a stray lock of Joker's hair. "I wanted to trust you," he says, his voice barely a breath. "More than anything, I wanted to be able to trust you."
Joker's heart wrenches. "Can you trust me now?"
"... I don't deserve that chance."
"I'm giving it to you anyway. Please, Akechi." Joker hesitates, then tries again in little more than a whisper himself. "Goro." Joker pushes Akechi's hair out of his face this time. "Let yourself relax, just a little bit. Let just a sliver of the mask fall."
Akechi's cheek follows Joker's hand as he takes a slow, measured breath. "...afraid to fall."
Joker's grip on him tightens. "I'll catch you. Every time."
That doesn't get a response from Akechi other than to close his eyes again, and let his face rest against Joker's hand.
It's then that it finally seems to all click. Akechi's Shadow steps back from them and lifts off from the ground, enveloped in golden white light. "You who has known both good and evil intimately, and has chosen both sides for different reasons. You who chose the path of the villain in hopes that it might bring right to light."
Akechi squints his eyes more tightly closed.
"You who would have yourself called traitor over friend, and who at the end of the road gave your own life when you realized the path you walked no longer could pretend to be in light. Call upon your strength once more."
Akechi's head lifts enough to look at what was once his Shadow. "Called traitor rather than friend."
The figure nods. "Blood spilled in the name of good intentions is still blood spilled. But forgiveness can still be found. Look to your friends and know. The world may remember you as traitor, but it does not mean that you did not begin... and you might not begin again as friend."
Akechi takes a deep breath. "I doubt I deserve you... but perhaps that is fitting, Iscariot. Lend me your strength, and perhaps we both find our own paths this time."
The figure nods and the light dissipates - taking the figure with it, and leaving a blue card not dissimilar to the one Joker could envision when the new arcana took hold with Ghost. Akechi reaches out with a weak hand and catches the card in his hand, closing his fist on it as it dissolves into light again. "...that's new."
Ghost chuckles. "Looks like how new Personas found their way to me." That gets a small nod from Akechi's, whose head droops back against Joker's arm. It's another long moment before Joker hears Ghost's voice chime in, trying to be gentle even as he speaks up to be heard. "We need to start finding a way out, Joker."
"I know." But he doesn't move, not until Akechi's eyes flicker back open to look up at him. "You ready?"
"As ready as I'll ever be." A shift, and then he pauses. "I don't... know if I can walk, unfortunately."
"I can carry you." There was never a question about that in Joker's mind. "Don't worry about it."
"I'd rather not feel like a damsel in distress," Akechi quips, and Joker smiles at the return of a shade of his sense of humor.
"We can see how you walk first, but if you're not doing well, I'm carrying you whether you like it or not."
"Mm. I suppose I don't have much room to argue."
"Not even a little." Joker shifts so that he can help Akechi to his feet - and as soon as he's standing again, his knees buckle. Joker catches him by the arm, steadying him enough to get his feet under him again. It's slow progress, but he manages to get Akechi off of the gallows platform before his knees give out again, and Akechi curses under his breath. "Take it slow, Akechi."
"I hate feeling like this." There's a growl in his voice which as weird as it is to admit, it pleases Joker to hear. Anything that makes him sound more like his normal self is welcome at the moment.
"I know you do. But we'll get you back out, get your strength back, and then you can go back to losing at pool to me."
A cough of a laugh, and Joker grins. "We'll see about that. I may be a bit rusty, but it took you a great deal to beat me. I will be back to good form, and you will be losing handily in no time."
"I look forward to it." Joker's never meant something more in his life. "Now, will you let me carry you at least until we find our way back to the Velvet Room?"
"To the what?"
"Answer the question, Akechi."
A heavy sigh. "I don't suppose you're going to let me say no."
"Not really."
"Then yes, I suppose I will agree to it."
Sumire gets there not too long after Sae, and now the whole crew is sitting up in the attic of Leblanc, and Futaba is finally starting to feel something close to calm. It's not much, and she knows she won't feel better until Akira is back in there as well, but having everyone else helps her feel like she's at least done something right in this whole process. She doesn't envy Akira what he was doing back when they were all working as the Thieves. Being the leader of the group sucks, and she appreciates that Makoto seems to have taken more of it over. Makoto seems better suited for the role anyway. Futaba is content to sit back and wait for something to happen.
So far, most of what's happened has been getting Sumire up to speed on what all they know - or more accurately, how much they don't know. The gymnast frowns as they finish up the last piece of the puzzle so far. "It feels like we really don't know anything."
Ryuji groans. "That's ‘cause we don't know anything. We're all just sittin' here waiting." At Futaba's death glare, he adds, "I mean - I ain't complaining. I'd rather be here with all of you and wait than be on my own and not know. Obviously."
Futaba huffs but nods. "He's not wrong. We don't really know a lot. I've told you everything I know!"
"I believe you," Sumire offers with a smile. "And you've said that Dr. Takemi is waiting to hear from us?"
Ann nods. "She said she'd stay on call for us at her office. So I guess if they show up and need a doctor... we just call her again. She's just around the corner."
"Do we know how they'll show up?" Sumire tucks her legs up to her chest as she sits. "I don't mean how they'll be in terms of how well they are, I mean more where."
The Thieves look around at each other, all settling on Futaba again, who groans. "I don't want to be the leader anymore, this is discrimination."
"You are the one with the most information," Makoto offers sheepishly. "You're the only one of us - other than Mona, of course - who's spoken to both of them."
Mona hops up on the table, saving Futaba the job of answering. "No, we don't know. They were both lying down up here when they vanished, but I don't know how they'll leave the Velvet Room. I'd like to think that getting out is easier than getting in. Lady Lavenza and the others should be able to make a door for them."
"Where would a door even be?" Ann asks. "I don't remember Akira ever talking about how he got into the Room."
Morgana's ears flick. "The one we used most commonly was over by Untouchable."
"In Shibuya!?" Ryuji snaps up to sit forward. "How are they gonna get Akechi all the way back here from Shibuya? What if he is in bad shape?"
Mona glares. "I didn't say that's where they were going to show up, Skull. Just that there was a door there. I'd hope that Lady Lavenza manages to make a door closer to the café."
"Is there anything more we can be doing?" Haru asks, looking around at the group. "I'd hate to sit idle when we could be preparing for our friends somehow."
"I cannot imagine what more there might be to do," Yusuke murmurs under his breath. "I feel we have done all that we can. Now we simply have to wait."
Futaba taps her foot against the edge of her seat. "I don't like that answer, Inari."
"I will admit, it is not what I'd prefer to be doing either, but I do not see an alternative. We have arranged for food, we have alerted a doctor, and we have Sae-san with us if we have immediate need of someone in the law profession. Aside from that, we have only the need to prepare ourselves for their arrival."
That is met with silence. It's eventually Sae who speaks up. "You've all mentioned a third person, and when Ann-chan and I spoke earlier, she could not tell me much about him." She looks at Futaba. "Who is in the Metaverse with Akira-kun?"
This at least Futaba feels like she can talk a little bit to. "His name's Yu Narukami. He's a Persona user like the rest of us, and he's a therapist out in Inaba. Did you hear about the Midnight Channel stuff from like five years ago or so?"
Sae thinks about that, but eventually nods. "Yes, I do remember talk about that. It was connected to a series of strange deaths, correct?"
"Mm-hmm!" Futaba bounces slightly. "So that was Metaverse stuff too. Him and his friends were kinda like their versions of the Phantom Thieves." A moment of thought. "Or I guess we were kinda our versions of them. That's weird. Oh! But he studied cogpsi in college, so he like extra knows what's up. Definitely dual classed there."
Sae blinks. "I... okay, I will take your word for it on that last part. But... so there are other Persona users?" Sae's picking up the terminology quickly; Futaba isn't surprised. She's Makoto's sister. Of course she catches on quickly. "This has happened before?"
Futaba nods. "Guess so! I didn't get a lot of a chance to ask Narukami-san about it. That's on my to-do list when they're back." Right after giving Akira about fourteen hundred hugs and refusing to let him go. Maybe more than that. She's not sure yet.
She's also pretty sure she's going to have to take a crowbar to him to get him away from Akechi, but that's understandable. She can't blame him for that. ...Much.
"I'll have to look into that," is Sae's comment. "I wonder what kind of similarities there are to be drawn."
Again, silence falls over the group and Futaba takes a breath and closes her eyes, trying to imagine what's happening right now. It's hard to even take a guess. Maybe they're running through a Palace hunting Akechi down. Maybe they're stuck in a corner fighting Shadows. Maybe they finally found Akechi but he's unconscious on the ground and Akira is fighting to try and wake him up and maybe he doesn't look like he's going to wake up again--
A gentle hand on her shoulder makes her flinch, and the feeling is gone as soon as she felt it. Tilting her head back, she can see Yusuke, looking over at her with concern in his eyes. "They will all come home safely," he says softly.
"I... yeah." She curls in on herself again. "Yeah." They'll be okay.
They have to be.
As he expected to happen, Akechi is asleep in Joker's arms before they even leave the abandoned courtroom. Having him this close serves to emphasize how thin he is, and it makes Joker's heart break. He may not have died literally, but something has been lost during his time trapped in here.
"How isn't he dead?" Joker asks Ghost softly, trying to keep his voice from disrupting Akechi.
Ghost shakes his head. "I haven't got the first idea. He doesn't look like he should be alive, if I'm entirely honest. He's going to need to see a doctor at best and the emergency room at more likely when we get back."
"I don't want to overwhelm him," Joker says. "He's going to be going through so much already. Not just the physical strain of this, but walking back into a world that's assumed he's dead... and that's not even taking into account whatever legal repercussions there are still going to be."
"Legal proceedings will have to wait until he's closer to well anyway," Ghost comments. "Let's just focus on that part."
"I just want him to be safe and healthy." Joker's voice is barely audible. "That's all I want."
"And we'll get him there. I'm sure of it." Ghost glances over at them as they walk. "That's an interesting new Persona for him."
Joker manages most of a chuckle. "Yeah. Not exactly the kind of figure I was expecting, but that's kinda par for the course with Akechi. He's never going to be the predictable one." Iscariot. The Biblical traitor, but not a rendition he'd ever heard described. Sure, Joker had a pretty cursory understanding of the main characters in the book, but for someone like that to show up as a Persona...? It sounded like there was more going on there than he expected. Maybe there was some research to be done. Wasn't like he hadn't found books about most of the Thieves' main Personas anyway, right? Why not get a look into this one too?
Ghost looks around. They've been walking in a generally straight line since leaving the courtroom, but there haven't been much of any landmarks as they've gone. "You don't think we're going to have to walk all the way through each of the Palaces again, do you?"
"I don't know how we would." Joker looks around as well, but doesn't see anything that could help. He's loath to wake up Akechi if he doesn't have to, but it might end up being necessary if they can't figure out how to get out. "Any time I've needed to escape a Palace before it was just me running until I couldn't anymore, and we just sort of... fell out of the Metaverse." He's never really thought about that before.
"And for us, there was always a set entrance to come back to, like how you described Mementos. And that's more how this is situated but... didn't we take a train to get here?"
"Yeah." Joker sighs, and gently jostles the figure in his arms. "Akechi."
"Mm." Akechi stirs but doesn't wake.
"Akechi, we need help."
"Mmm." More of a stir, and he squints up at Joker. "Help?"
"We don't know how to get out of here. Ghost and I started in a theatre but then had to take a train to get here to the labyrinth... but I'm not even seeing the labyrinth anymore, so I can't figure out how we'd get back to the gate."
That gets a sigh from Akechi. "My Shadow is overdramatic." He lifts his head and looks around. "Where did you go when you left the courtroom?"
"Straight. Basically."
A long blink, and then Akechi points off to the right. "Go that way. The entrance should be over there."
"Which entrance?" Ghost asks.
Akechi shakes his head. "There is only one. The labyrinth is behind the theatre."
"...what." Joker's voice is utterly flat. "Then... why were we on a train?"
"I promise you, I don't have a clue, other than a sense of drama my Shadow must have found necessary. The subconscious is a strange beast."
"That I can agree with," Ghost mutters. He and Joker change course, and head in the direction Akechi points - and sure enough, before long they find the entrance to the theatre, with an unresponsive Shadow figure at the front. But... "There's still no door."
"There was one." Joker glances at Akechi; he's asleep again. He can't help but smile at him before looking back up. "This is where we came in from. There still has to be a door to the Velvet Room."
"That's what I'd expect, yes." Ghost looks around, away from the theatre building. "Do you remember anything about what angle you came at the theatre from?"
"I... no." Joker sighs. "I was so focused on just getting in that I wasn't paying attention."
"I don't blame you." Ghost's eyes flicker over to Akechi, and while Joker nudges him again, he doesn't wake and Joker doesn't want to push. "It would be easier if both of us could look."
"I am looking." Joker fights to keep the irritation out of his voice. He knows that Ghost understands, and he knows that Ghost is just as aware as Joker is himself at what they're facing. Joker wants out of here, and he wants it now. But he's also not going to let go of Akechi again any time soon. So he'll look for the exit - but he'll do it with Akechi in his arms, and if Ghost doesn't like it, then that sounds like a Ghost issue.
And in the end, it's Joker who finds the door in the first place. "Ghost." A moment later, the other man jogs up behind him, and Joker can hear him sigh. "Found it."
"Good." Ghost pushes open the door - and for a second, Joker is afraid it's not going to open. But sure enough the door opens, and the trio walk in - and get several gasps in response.
"Trickster!" Lavenza darts forward, but stops a few paces away from him. "You found him!"
"Of course I found him. I wasn't about to leave without him." Joker's hand tighten on Akechi's frail frame. "I'm just glad I found him in time."
Margaret steps over, brushing her hand lightly over Akechi's hair. "He is in desperate need of the rest of your world. You are not wrong, my friend. He would not last much longer in here."
"How do we get out?" Ghost asks, voice tight. "And where are we going to end up? I'm not expecting that you can just send us back into Joker's bed - and besides, where would Akechi-san go?"
On the bed with me, is Joker's instinctive reaction - and he's glad he manages not to say that out loud. He's not quite ready for that.
"No, we should be able to open a door like we have previously for the both of you," Lavenza says, stepping away from the pair. "I do not assume that the previous locations will suffice, what with the condition of your companion."
"No," Joker agrees. "The door in Shibuya is too far. Can you put a door somewhere in the backstreets? Over by Leblanc, or where Sojiro lives?"
Lavenza thinks about it. "Yes, I believe I should be able to do that. I do have a distant memory of where you lived then from when we were traveling together. Give me one moment." She steps away from the group, leaving Joker, Akechi, and Ghost with Margaret and a silent Igor.
"Margaret, has there ever been a human in the Metaverse for this long before?" Ghost asks softly.
Margaret shakes her head. "No, he is the first that I am aware of. It shows a tremendous amount of willpower that he has managed to persist as long as he has. You have a very strong friend, Joker."
"I know." Joker's voice is soft, and he wishes that he had a spare hand to brush Akechi's hair back out of his face. It's strange, that he's spent all this time refusing to admit how he felt, and now that there is even the first inclination that Akechi feels the same...? Now it's all he can think about. It's all he wants to do. The best part of being back will be the ability to kneel next to him and keep his hair out of his face.
He's turned into a complete and utter sap, and he really does not care even a bit.
"Your love for him is evident."
Joker chokes. "Wh--" Okay, so maybe even after thinking all of that, he's still not quite ready to be called out on it.
Margaret laughs. "If you thought that your feelings were hidden, I can assure you that even for one such as I it is quite clear."
Joker can't say anything at first, just looking down at Akechi... and he can't bring himself to argue. "He means the world to me."
"And if you are not yet his world, it is only a matter of time." Margaret smiles. "But I would not worry too much about that."
"I won't." Or at least he'll try not to.
Lavenza saves him from having to come up with anything else to say. "I have managed to construct a door from here to close to your Hierophant's house."
Joker's head pops up. "From his house? Or the café?"
"I do believe it is his house."
Ghost steps up next to Joker and looks at him. "Ready?"
Joker nods. "Thank you, Lavenza - all of you. I... I don't know what we would have done without you."
"As I told my Wild Card years ago," Margaret comments. "It is the right of the Wild Card to reach the end of their journey and never again stand alone. I believe that follows you as well."
"The World," Lavenza says with a smile. "You stand on your own, Trickster, but you do not do it alone."
Joker nods. "Thank you." It's all he can say.
"Go now, and make your fellow Wild Card whole again."
"Let's go, Ghost."
Morning -> Afternoon
Emerging into the open air is more of a shock than Akira expects - and it's even more so that as soon as he steps out, the Phantom Thief attire is gone and he's left in his usual clothing again. A quick glance at Ghost - no, at Narukami - shows that he's back to civilian attire as well. Another glance around shows that Lavenza was right on the month. They're in the little alleyway just beyond Sojiro's house. Thank God. Not far from the café. He starts walking, expecting Narukami to follow - and sure enough, he can hear a fast set of footsteps keeping time behind him. He has no idea what to expect when he walks into that café. When they left, it was Mona and Futaba, just waiting for something to happen. He doesn't even know how long he's been gone. It looks like earlier in the day, so it must be the next day at least.
That's a strange feeling. He doesn't know how much time he's lost.
But is it lost? Or has he finally gained the time he's been missing?
...
That being said, opening the door to find what looks to be the entire Phantom Thieves crew was not what he was expecting.
Luckily, before he - or anyone else - can speak, Narukami speaks up. "We need to get him upstairs and resting. Any questions or anything needs to wait."
The team must sense the feeling of a fellow Wild Card, because they all part instantly and let Akira zoom past them to get to the stairs. "Ann--" he says as he walks by.
But she beats him to the punch. "I'm going to call the doctor from down the road. She's standing on call for us."
Makoto follows him up the stairs. "We have food and water for him up here as well," she adds, keeping her voice low. "Is he..."
"He's alive, but he's weak and he's thin." Akira's voice is shaking, and he needs it to stand firm for just a little longer. Any lucky star he's got, he's thanking for his team absolutely pulling together in the interim for them. He's got such an amazing group of friends; he can't even begin to believe they're all actually sticking around for him. "I... I didn't expect..."
"All of us to be here?" Makoto smiles. "Sis is here too, but she had to duck out for something unexpectedly. She'll be back a little after lunch, she said."
"What... day is it? How long have I been gone?" He makes his way across the room and lays Akechi on his bed - and almost loses composure again when he realizes that there's still jazz playing.
"About a day, I think. Most of us have been here since last night. Sumire came this morning." Makoto sits on the small bench next to the television. "Futaba didn't want to be alone here, so she organized everyone getting together so that we'd be able to plan something."
"Since last night? What have you been doing?"
"Worrying about you, mostly." That gets a faint laugh from her. "Figuring out what we were going to do when you got back... wondering what condition you were all going to be in. How do you feel, Akira?"
"I'm fine." It's an automatic answer, but even after a thought, he wouldn't change it. He's exhausted, but he's okay. "I'll be fine. I'm more worried about Akechi right now."
"He looks like a skeleton," she whispers. "I can't believe he was really in there for all this time. You were really back in the Metaverse?"
"Goofy outfit and everything." Akira takes a breath, and gets Akechi settled. He's barely stirred since they left the courtroom, and Akira can't blame him. He's got to be ten times more tired than Akira is right now. "I never want to go back."
"I don't blame you." She pauses, and when she speaks again, her voice is already apologetic. "I know you'd probably like some time alone, but I know at least Futaba is going to want to see you."
"I..." I don't want to leave him. I can't leave him alone up here. Intellectually, he knows that Akechi's going to be asleep for a good while yet, and he won't even know if Akira steps away for half an hour. But even after all this time, a half an hour away from him feels like the end of the world. "I don't..."
"I know." It's gentle. "I know you don't. But give the others just a bit of time, and then I can convince them to leave you alone. The doctor will be here pretty soon anyway, right?"
"...right." He takes a breath, not even able to look away from Akechi, before standing up.
Behind him, a welcome voice speaks up. "I'll stay up here," Narukami says, appearing at the stairs. "I'll wait for the doctor, and I can tell her what happened. Go be with the others for a little. I'll get you if there's any change."
Now he feels like he can take a full breath again. "Thank you, Narukami."
The older man nods. "Of course."
Akira steps away and the two trade places, letting Akira walk down the stairs - to be promptly tackled by a red-headed blur. "Oof--ow, Futaba, be careful. I've been in the Metaverse for like a day."
"You've been gone and I didn't know where you were and I hated it and I never want to be the leader ever again."
Akira has to chuckle at that. "I hear you arranged this whole get-together. I'm impressed. Maybe I should take impromptu trips more often."
"Don't you dare." It's the quiver in her voice that gets Akira to level out, wrapping his arms around her in a return hug. "I've been so, so scared, Akira."
"I know. I'm sorry. I told you I wasn't sure how it was all going to work out."
"And I know that and even so it was really scary and I hated it and I don't want you leaving again."
"I'm not going to be able to be here forever, though I might end up here longer than I expected." There was a piece of the puzzle he hadn't even accounted for. How was he just going to show back up at home with a second person? He couldn't expect to just leave Akechi on his own, even if he had to go for something more intensive like a hospital stay. What was he supposed to do?
Maybe Narukami would have an idea. There had to be something.
"You stay for a long time, Akira." Futaba's hands are balled against his back. "Please."
"I'll stay for as long as I can, and that's the best I can promise." He'll have to call his parents, but he'll figure that out later. Looking up, he looks out over the group - and sees Morgana sitting on a chair, trying to look invisible. "Mona." One ear turns toward Akira. "Thank you."
That gets him to look over. "What? What for?"
"For being here. For being a support through all of this."
He can see the cat bristle a little, and he has to bite back the smile. Mona's never been good at taking compliments like this. "I just did what everyone else did."
"And I'll thank them too. But I wanted to thank you first." Akira knows how much being a cat still bothers Morgana on occasion - and when everyone is around and doing something to help, he knows his friend well enough. It's got to be driving Morgana crazy that he hasn't been able to do anything. But he also knows the team well enough; he's been in the background and helping to keep them all in place. And from the looks of it, he's done exactly that.
Morgana's ears flatten against his head, but Akira can see the smile in his eyes when he looks over. "Yeah yeah. Someone had to be the leader while you were gone, so Futaba and I had to step up."
"And you did amazingly." He looks out over the group again. "Thank you all. Seriously, even though I probably don't look like it right now, but I can't thank you all enough for being here."
"We would not be anywhere else," Yusuke comments under his breath, and the rest of the team murmurs their agreement.
The door jingles and Takemi walks in, eyebrow raised. "So I hear you have an adventure for me, little guinea pig."
Akira manages most of a smile at that. "Gotta keep you on your toes somehow." Akira nods up the stairs. "He's up there. I'll be up in a bit. For right now, I think I have this growth on me I need to deal with."
Futaba grumbles and Takemi laughs. "Let me handle the urgent care patient and then we'll see about you and your growth." Takemi scoots past them all and Akira lets himself be led to one of the tables.
Makoto is right. As much as he wants to be upstairs - and he will be, soon enough - it's good to be back among the Thieves for a while.
